FDNY Firefighter Charged with Punching NYPD Officer in Face
An on-duty FDNY firefighter in the throes of a mental health episode was arrested for punching an NYPD officer in the face during an unprovoked attack inside a Queens hospital, police sources said Friday.
The assault happened around 9:50 p.m. Wednesday inside Queens Hospital Center on 164th St. in Jamaica.
Firefighter Abel Sencion, 34, was rushed to the hospital by medics because he appeared to be in mental distress, sources said.
At the hospital, he encountered Police Officer Philip Vallon — who, also on duty, was guarding a prisoner, sources said — and punched Vallon in the face, according to sources and a criminal complaint charging the suspect with second-degree assault, a felony.
The 32-year-old officer suffered minor pain and swelling, police said.
Sencion pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday and posted the $5,000 bail a Queens Criminal Court judge set for him. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
Sencion joined the FDNY in 2023 and was assigned to Engine Company 277 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, according to city records.
FDNY officials said he will be suspended from duty for 28 days as a result of his arrest.
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